GUWAHATI: The Assam Police continued with its crackdown on child marriage in the state for the third day in a row, with the number of arrests touching 2,278 on Sunday.

A police statement said the arrests were made based on 4,074 FIRs across the state.

At least 139 people have been apprehended in Biswanath, followed by 130 in Barpeta and 126 in Dhubri, the statement said.

Other districts where over 100 arrests have been made are Baksa (123) and Bongaigaon and Hojai (117 each), it maintained.

Dhubri registered the highest number of FIRs against child marriages at 374 cases, followed by Hojai at 255 and Morigaon at 224.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had on Saturday asserted that the drive against child marriage will continue till the next assembly elections in 2026.

He had said parents involved in underage marriages are currently being let off with a notice.

The CM added that men marrying girls below 14 years of age will be facing non-bailable charges, while those marrying girls between 14 to 16 years of age will be charged under bailable sections.

The state cabinet had recently approved a proposal to book men who have married girls below 14 years of age under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Cases under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 will be registered against those who have married girls in the 14-18 years’ age group, the cabinet decided.

The offenders will be arrested and the marriages declared illegal. If the groom is below 14 years of age, he will be sent to a reform house.

Assam has a high rate of maternal and infant mortality, with child marriage being the primary cause, according to reports by the National Family Health Survey (NFHS).

An average of 31 per cent of marriages registered in the state are in the prohibited age group, the NFHS had noted.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has undertaken 21 trips abroad since 2019 and over Rs 22.76 crore was spent on these visits, the government said on Thursday.

The President undertook eight trips abroad and an amount of over Rs 6.24 crore was spent on these trips since 2019, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

The government incurred an amount of Rs 6,24,31,424 for President’s visits, an amount of Rs 22,76,76,934 for prime minister’s visits and an amount of Rs 20,87,01,475 for External Affairs Minister’s visits since 2019, according to the minister.

While the President undertook eight visits abroad, the PM undertook 21 trips since 2019. During this period, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar undertook 86 visits abroad.

Since 2019, the prime minister has visited Japan thrice, and the US and the UAE twice.

Among the president’s visits, seven out of the eight trips were undertaken by Ram Nath Kovind, while current president Droupadi Murmu visited the UK last September.

Gurugram: A man has been arrested for dragging a motorcycle by his speeding car for more than three kilometres, ignoring attempts by other commuters to stop his vehicle, the Gurugram Police said.

The car hit the motorcycle parked along the road on Wednesday night as a result of which the two-wheeler got stuck beneath it. The vehicle dragged it for three kilometres, police said.

The motorcycle owner, a bouncer by profession, said the incident occurred around 11.30 pm when he was returning to home from duty. He said that he had a narrow escape since he was standing near his motorcycle at the time of the incident.

The driver of the car fled leaving his vehicle.

A video of the car dragging the motorcycle in Sector 65 amid sparks flying went viral on social media. Police contacted the owner of the motorcycle who filed a complaint.

Based on the complaint of the motorcyclist, an FIR was registered against the car driver under sections 279 (rash driving), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 427 (causing damage) of the Indian Penal Code at the Sector 65 police station.

“We have arrested the accused identified as Sushant Mehta, a resident of Faridabad, and impounded his car. The accused works with a private firm in Sector 63,” said Subhash Boken, the spokesperson of Gurugram Police.

New Delhi : The government is likely to clear the names of three high court chief justices and two HC judges recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court, sources said.

On December 13 last year, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended to the government to appoint Justice Pankaj Mithal, Chief Justice, Rajasthan High Court; Justice Sanjay Karol, Chief Justice, Patna High Court; Justice P V Sanjay Kumar, Chief Justice, Manipur High Court; Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah of Patna High Court; and Justice Manoj Misra of Allahabad High Court as apex court judges.

Sources aware of judicial appointments told PTI that the government is likely to clear their appointments.

Once the five take oath as judges of the top court, its working strength will go up to 32.

The sanctioned strength of the apex court is 34, including the Chief Justice of India. Its present working strength is 27.

On January 31, the Supreme Court collegium recommended two more names for elevation as top court judges — Justice Rajesh Bindal, Chief Justice, Allahabad High Court and Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice, High Court of Gujarat.

While recommending their names, the SC Collegium had said the names recommended by it on 13 December 2022 “shall have precedence over the two names recommended presently for appointment to the Supreme Court”.

“Therefore, the appointments of five judges recommended on 13 December 2022 should be notified separately and earlier in point of time before the two judges recommended by this resolution,” it had told the Law Ministry.

Haridwar: Seers of the Bairagi camp area here have accused the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department of demolishing their hut in the name of removing encroachments and threatened to sit on a fast unto death if they were not rebuilt by February 13.

They held a meeting at the Nirmohi Ani Akhada here on Thursday and demanded action against officials of the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation department involved in the demolition exercise.

They also threatened to move court against the Uttar Pradesh officials, claiming Bairagi camp was a Kumbh Mela area reserved for the three Bairagi akhadas — Shripanch Nirmohi Ani Akhada, Shripanch Nirvani Ani Akhada and Shripanch Digambar Ani Akhada.

Addressing a large gathering of Bairagi seers, Digambar Akhada Mahant Baba Balram Das Hathayogi said that “persecution of seers” in the name of removal of encroachments will not be tolerated.